STANDISH – Hannah Hill was Hannah Hill when it mattered the most Wednesday, and battery-mate Heather Tripp came through in the clutch, too.

That was expected of the pair of seniors, who have been rock solid for the Fryeburg Raiders’ softball squad all season.

What may not have been expected was the emergence of underclassmen – two in particular – who may be most directly responsible for the Raiders’ offensive explosion late in Wednesday’s game at Ward Field on the campus of St. Joseph’s College.

Freshman Maggie McConkey, often overshadowed by older sister Ariel, hit what appeared to be a wasted triple in the fifth inning, sending a rocket to the fence over the outfielders’ heads.

“It just bounced off the bat; it felt so good,” McConkey said.

The next three hitters all struck out, stranding courtesy runner Brianna Pelkie – another freshman – at third.

“It would have been nice to push that run across,” Fryeburg coach Fred Apt admitted.

But the triple meant something. It was a challenge.

“She’d been playing JV most of the season, and I brought her up a few games ago,” Apt said. “Once the rest of the team saw her hit the ball that far, they felt they could, too. They accepted the challenge. That’s the kind of kids they are.”

Hill was the first batter in the top of the sixth. Taking a cue from her freshman teammate, she, too, ripped the ball deep and stood at second with a double, her second hit of the game.

“I was pumped for her that she got a triple,” Hill said. “The next inning, we were like, ‘We owe it to her and to ourselves to really score here.'”

Two batters later, Tripp drove in Hill and Brylie Walker, who’d walked, with a double of her own, and the Raiders’ five-hit, five-run inning was under way.

“They played the infield in and Heather just turned on the ball like she has all year,” Apt said.

Ariel McConkey brought courtesy runner Michelle Rusco in with a single to push the lead to 4-1, but there was still a chance the heart of the Gray-New Gloucester Patriots’ roster could bat in the top of the seventh, and three runs, even against Hill, weren’t out of the question.

Enter sophomore Anna Tupaj.

Pinch-hit for in the fifth, Tupaj drove in another two Fryeburg runs with a single in her second at-bat.

“She’s another one; she started at JV for us this year, and she’d started swinging the bat well lately, so we put her in as our designated player. One of our coaches told me she’s good for one big line drive a game. She did it against Cape Elizabeth the other day and again (Wednesday).”

Still with an eye on Saturday’s Class B state final, thanks to the emergence of the team’s youth, Hill was already upbeat about the program she’ll leave behind after this season’s over.

“When it comes to our batting, we have freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors all throughout the lineup that contribute,” Hill said. “This is a pretty big year for us, but we can also now look to future years, and we know we have people willing to step up and play.”